Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Xain
EARLIER THAT MORNING
Iwas expecting Khaleesi’s warmth, her sweet scent, and even that smart mouth from the moment my eyes cracked open.
Instead, I woke to disheveled sheets and the empty spot beside me.
The spot was cold. She had been gone for a while.
After all the fucking we did, I felt disrespected waking up in the bed alone.
Pulling myself out of bed, I took a shower, got dressed for the day, and headed for her riad. She was already gone.
On the walk back to my riad, I texted Khaleesi.
Me: Where you at?
Demon Seed: I had the hotel arrange a car service to take me to the museum so I could get started.
Me: You could’ve woke me up.
Demon Seed: I need space. The car service will also take me back to the hotel.
That was the shitty start to my day. Khaleesi was trying to fuck and duck me like I was a bitch. The fuck did she mean she needed space? I no longer believed in that. She could have space in my riad. The terrace or the courtyard would give her plenty of space.
It was cooler that day, and Khaleesi was wearing a light blue Gucci knit wool cashmere cardigan with a shearling collar and a pair of denim jeans.
I’d noticed her beauty before. You’d have to be blind to miss it.
However, now, I was savoring every glimpse I caught of her, and yearning for a minute of her time again.
The cropped-style cardigan left her stomach exposed, displaying her purple heart-shaped belly ring.
Flashbacks to my tongue brushing across the metal object flooded my mind.
Now that I knew what she looked like naked, and felt like wrapped around my dick, it was hard to focus.
Her large areolas were a few shades darker than her caramel skin, and I could still feel their warm, smooth flesh gliding across my tongue.
The sudden clapping pulled me out of my trance, and I realized how pitiful I was.
Khaleesi had all of my attention, even as she tried her hardest to keep it cool in front of everyone else.
I only knew Q gave a top-tier speech because of the applause and the way Jameera and Q were sucking face in the middle of the dimly lit theater.
Fabian would have to send me the video later because I was barely paying attention.
A song was playing at a low volume, and I realized it was the unreleased song Khaleesi mentioned the day prior. The way Khaleesi beamed while giving me vague details about the proposal told me I would need to pull out all of the stops for her. I would. She deserved nothing less.
The entire time we stood off to the side of the theater to watch the proposal, Khaleesi continued to ignore me.
When Khaleesi brought Fabian to me so we could wait for them to arrive at the theater, she ignored me when I called her for a quick sidebar.
That’s how she did me as I carried the items into the cafe to set up for the candlelight dinner.
I’d walk in the room with a handful of shit, and she’d scurry out.
Then she acted too focused to let me get a word in.
Khaleesi was extremely talented. I’d watched her work her ass off, barking orders and commanding people around for the last few years.
It was second nature to her. I’m sure that helped her always go toe to toe with me.
That’s why experiencing Khaleesi during sex was so gratifying.
It was the only time I left that smart-ass mouth on mute.
In the midst of the celebration, Khaleesi made her way over to congratulate the couple, then quickly shot towards the exit. Her ass wasn’t slick.
I jogged over to Q and quickly dapped him up, offering quick congratulations, then shot towards the direction Khaleesi was headed. Just before the elevator doors slid shut, I slipped onto the elevator.
“Why the fuck you runnin’ from me? It’s Valentine’s Day. I thought you were going to be my gift,” I grinned, stepping closer so I towered over her.
“I can’t do this with you, Xain.”
“Why?”
“We’ll smother each other and really have to find new jobs if things don’t work out.
I really can’t believe I crossed that line with you.
Q was just threatening to fire one of us if we didn’t get along.
He didn’t say we should start messing around.
There is no beef like one connected to an ex-Roman—”
VRRRRRR! VRRRRR!
The elevator vibrated, and the car went dark as we came to a complete stop.
“What the fuck? Are we stuck?” Khaleesi quizzed.
The emergency lights flicked on, bright and blinding above us.
“Good, some more forced time together is exactly what we need to help you come to your senses,” I suggested.
“No. I need to get off of here,” Khaleesi panicked, pushing past me to reach the elevator panel. She repeatedly tapped the button to open the door, then the emergency call button, but nothing worked.
“Damn, you gone break the button and fuck more shit up. You want to get away from me that bad?”
Khaleesi didn’t respond. The lack of rebuttal instantly told me something was wrong. She stopped tapping the button, and her chest was rising in quick, shallow movements.
“You good?”
Khaleesi shook her head from side to side. “I can’t…”
“Fuck. What’s wrong? You can’t breathe?”
She shook her head harder, then mumbled, “out.”
I didn’t know what the fuck to do. Khaleesi’s hands were balled into fists, and her body was trembling. She threw herself into the door, banging on the elevator doors using every ounce of strength she had.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
“We are aware of the situation and are working to get the elevator fixed,” a voice came over the speaker in the ceiling.
“Khaleesi, calm down,” I encouraged, pulling her away from the door.
“I need to… to get out. I can’t breathe,” she panted, her breathing coming out in frantic gasps until it sounded like she was choking.
Khaleesi dropped to the ground, and I dropped in front of her. Her hands went to her head, and she roughly pulled at her hair. I took her hands and held them in mine.
“I can’t breathe,” she quavered.
The distress on her face and the tears welling up in her eyes tore me to shreds.
She was at the mercy of the confined space, and I couldn’t instantly fix it.
I pulled Khaleesi into my arms to console her, but instantly made shit worse.
Khaleesi shoved me away and was up on her feet, banging on the doors again.
For fear of making the situation worse, I didn’t wrap my arms around her again like I wanted to. Instead, I spoke to her calmly.
“Khaleesi, please look at me,” I coaxed.
Her fists were turning red, and I was worried about her injuring them.
Prepared to take the lashings that she might dole out, I gently grabbed her waist and pulled her back.
Khaleesi thrashed in my arms, and we both fell into the back wall of the elevator.
I took on the impact, my back colliding with the wall.
“You can breathe. You are breathing. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise. You are breathing.” I whispered in her ear. “I’ve got you. I’ll always have you.”
My voice was the only sound in the otherwise silent elevator.
Looking at our reflection in the mirrors, I couldn’t believe that was how we would spend our first Valentine’s Day together.
Silent tears streamed down Khaleesi’s face, ruining her mascara.
Her eyes were puffy from crying, and the tip of her nose was beet red.
Khaleesi closed her eyes, and I loosened the grip I had on her, allowing her space again.
The lights flickered on, and the electric hum of the elevator filled the car. We were going down, but I didn’t care, as long as I could get Khaleesi out. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened up. Q, Jameera, and a few museum employees were standing there.
“I’m fine. Excuse me,” Khaleesi sputtered, rushing out of the elevator and away from everyone.
I dashed behind Khaleesi, breaking out in a full sprint to catch her. When we reached the circular courtyard, she finally stopped to breathe. Khaleesi placed her hands on her knees and took huge, deep breaths. Her body was trembling.
“I’m sorry, Xain. I’m okay,” she apologized.
“You’re not, and that’s okay. Let me take care of you, Khaleesi. Can I do that?”
She looked up at me, and I reached over, gently wiping the tears away.
“Please?” I pleaded.
She silently nodded, and relief coursed through me as I grabbed her hand. I wanted to squeeze it tight to let her know that I was there for her, but fought off my impulse. Her trembling stopped once her hand rested in mine. My efforts were helping.
“Can you go ask them to get my purse? It’s on the second floor in the administrative office,” Khaleesi requested.
“Yeah, I got you.”
“Khaleesi! Xain! Wait!” Q called out behind us.
Khaleesi took a quick deep breath and lifted her shirt to dry her tears. A smile quickly spread across her face, a mask to placate others around her. She spun around, and I turned too, keeping her hand tucked in mine. Q was up on us with Jameera in tow.
“Are you okay?” Jameera inquired, extending a bottle of water and her purse in Khaleesi’s direction. “Take this. The staff was worried about you too.”
“Yes, I’m fine. Keep your water.” Khaleesi declined the water but accepted her purse.
“The confined space just triggered my claustrophobia for a moment, but I’m good.
I don’t want to ruin one of the happiest days of y’all lives.
Go inside, enjoy the dinner, and set up.
You only have two hours to eat before the private time in their theater.
I didn’t coordinate all of this for nothing,” Khaleesi chirped, putting up the biggest front.
“You sure? We just want to make sure you good,” Q insisted.
“I’m fine. Y’all, go back inside and enjoy the evening. I didn’t put all that effort into setting up the candlelight dinner in the cafe for y’all to be out here worrying about me. I just needed to get some fresh air,” Khaleesi sputtered, forcing a jovial expression.